Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Using This Workbook
Goals of the workbook. History of the workbook. Pedagogy of the workbook.
General instructions. Using the workbook according to temperament, discipline, or career stage. Using
the workbook by yourself, with a writing partner, in a writing group, for teaching, or with coauthors.
Giving feedback.
Week 1: Designing Your Plan for Writing 1
Instruction: Understanding feelings about writing. Keys to positive writing experiences. Designing
your plan for submitting to a journal in twelve weeks.
Exercises: Selecting a paper for revision. Choosing your writing site. Designing your writing schedule.
Anticipating and overturning writing obstacles. Documenting activities.
Week 2: Starting Your Article 37
Instruction: Types of academic articles. Myths about publishable academic articles. What gets
published and why. Abstracts as a tool for success. Getting started on your article revision.
Exercises: Hammering out your topic. Rereading your paper. Drafting your abstract. Reading a model
article. Revising your abstract. Documenting activities.
Week 3: Advancing Your Argument 59
Instruction: Common reasons why journals reject academic articles. Main reason academic articles are
rejected: no argument. Making a good argument. Organizing your article around your argument.
Exercises: Drafting your argument. Reviewing your article for an argument. Revising your article
around your argument. Documenting activities.
Week 4: Selecting a Journal 85
Instruction: Good news about journals. The importance of picking the right journal. Types of academic
journals: nonrecommended, questionable, and preferred. Finding suitable journals.
Exercises: Searching for journals. Evaluating academic journals. Matching your article to suitable
journals. Reading relevant journals. Writing a query letter to editors. Documenting activities.
Week 5: Reviewing the Related Literature 121
Instruction: Reading the scholarly literature. Types of literature. Strategies for getting reading done.
Identifying your relationship to the related literature. Avoiding plagiarism. Writing about other's
research.
Exercises: Evaluating your current citations. Identifying and reading the related literature. Evaluating
the related literature. Revising your related literature review. Documenting activities.
Week 6: Strengthening Your Structure 145
Instruction: On the importance of structure. Types of structures. Article structures in the social sciences
and humanities. Solving structural problems.
Exercises: Outlining a model article. Outlining your article. Restructuring your article. Documenting
activities.
Week 7: Presenting Your Evidence 159
Instruction: Types of evidence. Forms of proof in the humanities and social sciences. The importance
of strong and convincing evidence.
Exercises: Writing your methodology. Writing the results or findings. Revising your discussion of the
evidence. Organizing your evidence around your argument. Documenting activities.
Week 8: Opening and Concluding Your Article
Instruction: On the Importance of openings. Revising your opening and conclusion.
Exercises: Revising your title. Revising your introduction. Revisiting your abstract, related literature
review, and authors. Revising your conclusion. Documenting activities.
Week 9: Giving, Getting and Using Others' Feedback
Instruction: Types of feedback. Exchanging your articles.
Exercises: Sharing your article and getting feedback. Making a list of remaining tasks. Revising your
article according to feedback. Documenting activities.
Week 10: Editing Your Sentences
Instruction: On taking the time. Types of revising. The rules of editing. The Belcher diagnostic test
(cutting, adding, substituting). Editing your article.
Exercises: Running the Belcher diagnostic test. Revising your article with the test. Correcting problem
sentences. Documenting activities.
Week 11: Wrapping Up Your Article
Instruction: On the perils of perfection. Finalizing your article.
Exercises: Finalizing your argument, related literature review, introduction, evidence, structure, and
conclusion. Documenting activities.
Week 12: Sending Your Article!
Instruction: On the importance of finishing. Getting the submission ready.
Exercises: Writing the cover letter. Preparing illustrations. Putting your article into the journal's style.
Preparing the final print or electronic version. Send and celebrate!
Week ?: Responding to Journal Decisions
Instruction: An exhortation. Waiting for the journal's decision. Reading the journal's decision. Types
of journal decisions. Responding to journal decisions.
Exercises: Evaluating and responding to the journal decision. Responding to a revise and submit
notice. Planning your revision. Revising your article. Drafting your revision cover letter. Requesting
permissions. On the importance of persevering.
Works Cited
Recommended Reading